A man has appeared in court over alleged five hour police pursuit with an unrestrained toddler on board

A DRIVER who allegedly led police on a five-hour pursuit from the Central Coast with his unrestrained toddler in the cabin of a flatbed truck was on bail for knife and weapons charges, a court has heard.

Police and detectives search the inside the cab of the truck that the man who fronted court was said to be driving.

• Cows menace cemetery
• Two contract flesh eating disease

A DRIVER who allegedly led police on a five-hour pursuit with his unrestrained toddler in the cabin of a flatbed truck was on bail for knife and weapons charges, a court has heard.

The 40-year-old, of Watanobbi, was not required to appear via video link today when his matter was mentioned at Wyong Local Court.

The court heard the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was convicted in his absence of four offences in April last year.

Police allege when they went to arrest him at his home shortly before 11am on May 26 he grabbed his two-year-old son and jumped in an unregistered Hino truck.

Officers initially gave chase but called off the pursuit when they caught sight of the unrestrained child in the front passenger seat.

The driver of the truck was arrested at the intersection of Colechin Street and Valentine Street in Yagoona in Sydney’s southwest.

Several police and unmarked cars followed the 4.8 tonne truck from a distance with the PolAir helicopter providing directions from above.

The pursuit eventually ended when the truck ran out of fuel at the intersection of Colechin and Valentine streets in the south western Sydney suburb of Yagoona shortly before 4pm.

Charge sheets allege the man drove recklessly during the protracted chase and used the truck to ram two police cars and another motorist’s vehicle to escape.

The court heard the man was due to be sentenced on his earlier offences but both his weapons offences and pursuit offences were adjourned for committal on March 7.

Police facts tendered in court reveal the man and his girlfriend were seen driving at Watanobbi in a stolen purple Ford Falcon about 11.45am on February 24 last year when he turned into a driveway.

The pair was arrested and a search uncovered a pen gun in the woman’s bra and two knives, including one large hunting knife with a leather sheath, in the driver’s side door.

In a safe in the man’s master bedroom officers also found an extendible baton “similar to police issued batons”, the facts read.

As he was being charged with carrying a knife in public and possessing an offensive weapon the man threatened a custody manager yelling: “You’re dead c ... You’re dead c ... I’ve done nothing wrong you f...... c ... You’re dead. When I get out you’re dead”.

QLD PREMIER REJECTS HANSON’S BURQA BAN

He was convicted of intimidating an officer for that outburst and faces an additional 15 driving offences including using the truck as a weapon to avoid arrest, not stopping during a police pursuit, driving with an unrestrained child, destroying property and three counts of failing to give particulars following a collision.